No, reality isn't losing coherence -- at least any more than it is normally. This surreal picnic table does indeed flow toward and over a railing. It's an art installation by Michael Beitz at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Nebraska.

Link | Video | Artist's Website | Photos: Bemis Center

Previously by Michael Beitz: The Walls Have Ears

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For their latest stunt, the people of Improv Everywhere left a megaphone on a lectern in several spots around New York City. A sign on the lectern invited people to "say something nice." New Yorkers proved to be up to the task. Link -via Gizmodo

Five years ago, Sebastian Steinzen, a schoolteacher in Germany, lost a bet on a game of golf to a British man that he knew only as "Pat". They had wagered a pint of beer on the game, but Steinzen did not have the opportunity to repay it because he lost track of Pat. Steinzen felt obligated to find and pay him, and so searched for the Briton for five years. It was only after a newspaper reported on his story that Steinzen was able to find his golfing buddy, Patrick Burns:

However the burden of guilt became too much and last month, Mr Steinzer spent £1,000 travelling to England to try to find Pat and buy him that pint.

He went to Portishead, north Somerset, where Patrick told him he was from, and spent a week traipsing around the streets, pubs and golf courses, with a picture of his holiday friend.

But he had to return home without tracking down Pat, who was holidaying with his partner Pam when they met.

Before he went home, his quest was highlighted in the Daily Telegraph and when Mr Burns, 73, a retired advertising executive, read it in the paper he made contact with his German friend.

Link | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user sridgway used under Creative Commons license

Jenn Hall, a pastry artist in Philadelphia, figured that if she could make a R2D2 cake, she could make a R2D2 helmet. She was so pleased with the results of her efforts that she wore it to bed after finishing. Visit the link to see how she made the helmet.

Link -via The Mary Sue | Photo: Geekadelphia

Italian artist Giuseppe Veneziano updated the Greek myth of Perseus and Medusa with this sculpture. It's a bit harsh. I mean, Ronald McDonald never turned anyone into stone.

Artist's Website (some NSFW images) -via Kurositas | Photo by Flickr user mamasaurus rex used under Creative Commons license

UPDATE: In the comments, Sylvian proposes that this sculpture is actually a take on Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath. I think he's right.

Earlier this year, Japanese researchers announced that they had trained a dog to detect colon cancer by smelling the poop of cancer victims. Now, reseachers at Schillerhoehe Hospital in Germany have discovered that trained dogs can detect lung cancer by sniffing the breath of sick patients:

The dogs successfully identified 71 samples with lung cancer out of a possible 100. They also correctly detected 372 samples that did not have lung cancer out of a possible 400.

The dogs could also detect lung cancer independently from COPD and tobacco smoke. These results confirm the presence of a stable marker for lung cancer that is independent of COPD and also detectable in the presence of tobacco smoke, food odours and drugs.

Link -via io9 | Photo: European Lung Foundation

Paul McGee spotted this Volkswagen Beetle at the Belladrum Festival, an annual music fair held in Scotland. On the atmosphere of the event, McGee wrote "Brilliant small festival for families though, I'd heartily recommend it." http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmmphoto/6058119219 -via Colossal | Photo: Paul McGee

The Samarai Monocopter, developed by Lockheed Martin, is only ten inches long. But the designers don't plan to scale it up, but down. Their goal is to make one the size of a fingernail with a camera attached. Soldiers would be able to use such a device to scout nearby areas without exposing themselves to hostile fire.

At the link, you can watch a video of the Monocopter in flight. Link -via Geekosystem | Photo: Lockheed Martin

Taxidermist Andrew Lancaster says "Some people call me sick and some think it’s pretty good." The New Zealand resident collects small dead animals, preserves them, and uses their body parts to form imaginary creatures. So just in case you were worried: the above animal doesn't actually exist. News Story and Facebook Page -via Dave Barry | Photo: Andrew Lancaster

The blogger New Jovian Thunderbolt offers this novel legal argument:

American law originates from British Common Law. Specifically Common Law before we split from them. 1776 and all that. It's where the 2nd Amendment comes from and a right to defend yourself. But after 1776, our jurisprudence system was evolving along its own path.

Britain didn't overturn trial by combat until after we declared independence. No American court has really addressed it. Ergo, trial by combat may still be legitimate under U.S. Law.

If so, court TV could become a lot more interesting.

Link | Photo by Flickr user Patch Heart Photography used under Creative Commons license

Previously: Kentucky State Officials Must Swear an Oath Against Dueling

Few things are as awwwwwww-inspiring as an elderly couple in puppy love. Olivia Gissing has a photoblog entitled Old People Holding Hands devoted to this theme. Link -via Bit Rebels

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Ben Maleson, a mushroom merchant in Brookline, Massachusetts, plays a mushroom as a double-reeded instrument. He calls it the "Black Trumpet". Do you think that this instrument has a future in popular music? -via io9

Jenny Parks, a scientific illustrator, imagined the eleven Doctors from Doctor Who as cats. The above cat is, of course, the Fourth Doctor, who was portrayed by Tom Baker. http://tardiscat.deviantart.com/art/Doctor-Mew-76714357 -via Fanboy | Facebook Page | Artist's Website | Image: Jenny Parks, posted with permission

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Brent Spiner, the actor who played Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, does a really good impersonation of Patrick Stewart, the actor who played Jean-Luc Picard. In fact, it was good enough to fool Stewart's wife on the phone -- at least for a while. Here's a video of Spiner demonstrating this talent at the 2011 Emerald City Comicon. -via reddit

A MBA program at the University of Iowa offers a $37,000 scholarship to the person who can write the best tweet. Instead of writing two essays, applicants can write one essay and one tweet:

Applicant Seth Goldstein of Columbus, Ohio, submitted his tweet last week and said he was excited for the "fun, unique challenge."

"It is something different and out of the box," Goldstein said. "No other MBA schools I have applied to have anything like this."[...]

Students are encouraged to link to their blogs, videos, Facebook accounts or anything else that may help answer the question: "What makes you an exceptional Tippie Full-time MBA candidate and future MBA hire?"

Link -via First Things | Photo by Flickr user shawncampbell used under Creative Commons license